Self actuating latch



Feb. 19, 1963 R. G. YOUNG ETAL SELF ACTUATING LATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 3. 1960 OADS INVENTORS ROBERT G. YOUNG EPHRIAM H. RH

Feb. 19, 1963 R. e. YOUNG ETAL 3,073,001

. SELF ACTUATING LATCH Filed Oct. 3, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wvzurorrs ROBERT G. YOUNG EPHRIAM H. RHOADS United States Patent 3,078,001 SELF ACTUATING LATCH Robert G. Young, Bird-in-Hand, and Ephraim H.

Rhoads, Lititz, Pa., assignors to Sperry Rand Corporation, New Holland, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 3, 1960, Ser. No. 59,903 3 Claims. (Cl. 217-60) Situations are common wherein it is desirable to have a simply operable latch for holding a pivoted member in a given position. Pivoted container lids are an example; hoods for moving machinery parts are another example.

It is often desirable that lids, or hoods, be capable of being raised, latched in raised position, unlatched and lowered with one hand; leaving the operators other hand free to hold other objects or perform functions other than merely operating the cover member.

It is, of course, desirable that latch mechanism of the above type be as rugged as possible while being capable of being manufactured at low cost.

It is an object of this invention to provide mechanism which will latch a pivoted cover in a predetermined position automatically when the cover is raised to that position.

. It is another object of this invention to provide a latch for a. pivoted cover which is self releasing in response to a raising of the cover above a normal opened position followed by a lowering of the cover.

It is another object of this invention to provide a latch of the above type wherein the normal open position may be adjusted.

A further object of this invention is to provide a self actuating latch of rugged design which may be economically manufactured.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevational view showing a pivoted cover member and latch mechanism therefor, constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are fragmentary sectional elevational views similar to FIG. 1, but showing the cover member and latch mechanism in various positions assumed during the operation thereof; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The numeral 1, in the drawings, indicates a cover member pivotally mounted by conventional hinges 2 and 2 on a container-like structure 3. The structure 3 may be a container, a cowling, or hood, for moving machinery, or any conventional structure normally having a pivoted cover associated therewith. It will herein be referred to as a container for purposes of simplifying this disclosure. The bolts 5 which attach one of the hinges 2 to cover member 1 also serve to attach a bracket 4 to cover 1. Thus, bracket 4 is fixedly mounted on cover 1 and depends therefrom for pivotal movement therewith relative to container 3. Bracket 4 is preferably composed of two parallel, spaced arms 4 and 4- as seen in FIG. 5.

The bolts 6 which attach hinge 2 to container 3 also serve to mount stationary member 7 on container 3. The member 7 is provided with a bearing and latch portion 8. This portion may be conveniently provided by forming a slot 9 in member 7.

An elongate movable latch member 10 has one end disposed between the arms of bracket 4 and is pivotally connected thereto by a nut and bolt assembly 11. A spring washer 12 (FIG. 5) is carried by nut and bolt assembly 11 and serves to create friction in the pivotal joint between bracket 4 and latch member 10.

The movable member 10 is also supported on bearing and latch portion 8 of stationary member 7 and is freely slidable thereover when cover 1 is raised or lowered. A downwardly opening notch 13 is provided in the movable latch member 10 adjacent the end opposite the end mounted on bracket 4.

As most clearly seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the side of notch 13 away from the pivotally connected end of latch member 10 is inclined relative to the side of the notch toward the pivotally connected end of member 10. This provides a cam surface 14 to facilitate disengagement of notch 13 from portion 8 of stationary member 7 when the cover is raised above the normally latched position shown in FIG. 2. I

The operation of the latch is as follows:' When cover 1 is pivoted clockwise about hinge 2 from the closed 7 position shown in FIG. 1 to the normal open position shown in FIG. 2, gravity and the friction created by spring washer 12 maintain movable latch member 10 in sliding engagement with portion 8 of stationary member 7. The reaction of portion 8 on member 10 causes it to pivot counterclockwise relative to bracket 4 about bolt and nut assembly 11. When the position shown in FIG. 2 is reached, notch 13 drops over portion 8 to latch the cover in this normally open position.

When it is desired to lower cover 1, the cover is raised slightly above the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3. During this movement, cam face 14 of notch 13 rides on latch portion 8, thus, insuring ready disengagement of the latch. This additional movement of cover 1 causes member 10 to pivot still further in a counterclockwise direction about nut-bolt assembly 11. From the position of FIG. 3, the cover 1 is quickly lowered to the position shown in FIG. 4. The friction force created by spring washer 12 attempts to hold member 10 in the position shown in FIG. 3 relative to bracket 4. As a result of spring washer 12, member 10 is momentarily held clear of bearing and latch portion 8 as cover 1 is lowered. Thus notch 13 passes over portion 8 before the moment created by the weight of member 10 is sufficient to overcome the friction force created by spring washer 12. By the time cover 1 has been lowered to the position shown in FIG. 1, the weight of member 10 will have caused it to pivot clockwise about nut-bolt assembly 11 and again come to rest on bearing and latch portion 8 of stationary members 7.

Additional holes, such as 15 and 16, may be provided in bracket 4 for the reception of nut-bolt assembly 11. In this way, the effective length of latch member 10 may be adjusted to selectively vary the normal open position of cover 1. It will be seen in FIGS. 1 through 4 that the bolts 5 extend through elongate slots 17 in the flange portions of bracket 4. This provides an additional means for adjusting the latch mechanism.

It will be seen in FIG. 3 that the movable latch member 10 cannot inadvertently come out of slot 9. Before the cover could be pivoted in the counterclockwise direction sufficiently to pull the movable latch member from the slot, the latch 10 would bind between the top and bottom edges of slot 9, or between hinge 2 and the bottom of slot 9, to arrest movement of the cover. This, of course, is a one way bind; the cover may readily be lowered from its bound position.

While this invention has been described in connection with a particular embodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification, and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains, and as fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A latch for a cover which is mounted on a container for pivotal movement about a fixed axis between a raised opened position and a lowered closed position, said latch comprisinga stationary member fixedly mounted on and within said container and extending in a plane parallel to a vertical plane passing through said fixed axis and having a bearing and latch portion formed thereon, an elongated bracket fixedly mounted on said cover for movement therewith relative to said container, said elongated bracket, when the cover is in closed position, extending inwardly toward said stationary member and traversing said vertical plane, an elongated latch member having one end pivotally connected to the inner end of said bracket and an intermediate portion slidab-ly resting on said bearing and latch portion of the stationary member when said cover is in closed position, said latch member having a notch adjacent the end opposite said one end, the size and shape of said notch being such that the bearing and latch portion of the stationary member is receivable therein, movement of said cover from said closed position to a normal open position causing said latch member to pivot relative to said bracket and slide over said stationary member until said notch receives the hearing and latch portion of said stationary member to latch said cover in said open position, and friction means at the pivotal connection of said bracket and said latch member to resist relative pivotal movement therebetween, the location of the pivotal connection between said bracketand said elongated latch member and thevlocation of the bearing and latch portion of said stationary member being so related to the pivotal axis of said cover that said friction means biases said elongate latch member into engagement with said bearing and latch portion of the stationary member when the cover is moved from closed to open position and out of engagement with the bearing and latch portion of said stationary member when the cover is moved from opened to closed position.

2. A latch for a pivoted cover as recited in claim 1 wherein said bracket comprises a pair of spaced parallel members, said one end of said latch member being disposed therebetween, said one end of said latch member being pivotally connected to said bracket by a bolt and nut and said friction meanscomprises a spring washer carried by said bolt.

3. A latch for a pivoted cover as recited in claim 1 wherein the side of said notch away from the pivotally connected end of said latch member is inclined relative to the side of said notch toward the pivotally connected end of said latch member to facilitate disengagement from said stationary member when said cover is raised beyond said normal open position.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 652,001 Keil June 19, 1900 1,312,636 Lewis Aug. 12, 1919 1,491,085 Culver Apr. 22, 1924 1,549,705 Antonio Aug. 11, 1925 2,252,653 Thomas Aug. 12, 1941 

1. A LATCH FOR A COVER WHICH IS MOUNTED ON A CONTAINER FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A FIXED AXIS BETWEEN A RAISED OPENED POSITION AND A LOWERED CLOSED POSITION, SAID LATCH COMPRISING A STATIONARY MEMBER FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON AND WITHIN SAID CONTAINER AND EXTENDING IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO A VERTICAL PLANE PASSING THROUGH SAID FIXED AXIS AND HAVING A BEARING AND LATCH PORTION FORMED THEREON, AN ELONGATED BRACKET FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID COVER FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH RELATIVE TO SAID CONTAINER, SAID ELONGATED BRACKET, WHEN THE COVER IS IN CLOSED POSITION, EXTENDING INWARDLY TOWARD SAID STATIONARY MEMBER AND TRAVERSING SAID VERTICAL PLANE, AN ELONGATED LATCH MEMBER HAVING ONE END PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE INNER END OF SAID BRACKET AND AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION SLIDABLY RESTING ON SAID BEARING AND LATCH PORTION OF THE STATIONARY MEMBER WHEN SAID COVER IS IN CLOSED POSITION, SAID LATCH MEMBER HAVING A NOTCH ADJACENT THE END OPPOSITE SAID ONE END, THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF SAID NOTCH BEING SUCH THAT THE BEARING AND LATCH PORTION OF THE STATIONARY MEMBER IS RECEIVABLE THEREIN, MOVEMENT OF SAID COVER FROM SAID CLOSED POSITION TO A NORMAL OPEN POSITION CAUSING SAID LATCH MEMBER TO PIVOT RELATIVE TO SAID BRACKET AND SLIDE OVER SAID STATIONARY MEMBER UNTIL SAID NOTCH RECEIVES THE BEARING AND LATCH PORTION OF SAID STATIONARY MEMBER TO LATCH SAID COVER IN SAID OPEN POSITION, AND FRICTION MEANS AT THE PIVOTAL CONNECTION OF SAID BRACKET AND SAID LATCH MEMBER TO RESIST RELATIVE PIVOTAL MOVEMENT THEREBETWEEN, THE LOCATION OF THE PIVOTAL CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID BRACKET AND SAID ELONGATED LATCH MEMBER AND THE LOCATION OF THE BEARING AND LATCH PORTION OF SAID STATIONARY MEMBER BEING SO RELATED TO THE PIVOTAL AXIS OF SAID COVER THAT SAID FRICTION MEANS BIASES SAID ELONGATE LATCH MEMBER INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BEARING AND LATCH PORTION OF THE STATIONARY MEMBER WHEN THE COVER IS MOVED FROM CLOSED TO OPEN POSITION AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BEARING AND LATCH PORTION OF SAID STATIONARY MEMBER WHEN THE COVER IS MOVED FROM OPEN TO CLOSED POSITION. 